Abstract

Poor children’s feeding practices can lead to malnutrition which is a major public health problem in
developing countries including Sudan. This cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2008 - July
2010 to understand the relationship between feeding practices and prevalence of stunting, wasting, and
underweight among 6 -59 months aged children, in Khartoum state. A cluster sampling technique was used
for selecting 780 households each with at least a child aged 6-59 months. A structured questionnaire and
checklists which included feeding practices were filled through observation and interview with the mothers/
caregivers. Nutritional status of participating children was assessed using anthropometric measurements
and categorized according to WHO guidelines. The study revealed that out of 780 children who participated
in the study the prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting) was 19%; the prevalence of underweight was
35%, and chronic malnutrition (stunting) represents 51%. The most important factors that were reported
to significantly affect nutritional status were improper washing of raw food (9%) (p value = 0.001), not
washing hands after coughing (65%) (p value = 0.002), not washing hands after handling rubbish (11%)
(p value = 0.008), raw food coming in contact with/and ready-to- eat -food (58%) (p value = 0.042), family
food exposed to insects and rodents (24%) (p value = 0.005), mothers/caregiver didn’t cover their mouth
and nose after coughing (59%) (p value = .000), purchasing pre-packed/ processed children food without
checking expired date (63%) (p value = 0.011), and usage of public toilets by caregivers (48%) (p value =
0.035). The study revealed that poor feeding practices, may contribute to the higher risk of malnutrition in
Khartoum.